Concierge won't give me a reservation at any apple store

[maxterpiece]

I've had some pretty nasty experiences with apple support in the last year. Before the last year my experiences have all been good. Now my computer has broken for the 3rd time in a year. First I just drove to the apple store. I didn't know I needed a reservation for a computer that was obviously broken (the clicker doesn't work!). That was a waste of an hour of driving and another 30 minutes of waiting for someone at the genius bar to be kind enough to rudely explain that I had to go make a reservation at home. I believe the conversation went something like this (after several previous "excuse me"s:
"Sir, excuse me, please excuse me,"
"Are you John Doe?" (Whoever the guy who had an appointment for that time)
"No,"
He walks away.
"Wait, my comptuer is broken, the clicker thing doesn't work."
He absent mindedly shuffles some papers, pretending he was busy as hell and says, "you have to go make a reservation."
"are there any reservations left for today?"
no one is at the genius bar and they are closing in like 30 minutes.
"No."
"Please, i know it's broken, the clicker doesn't work. Could I just drop it off?"
He doesn't respond and walks away from the genius area.

Fine. I leave. I go back home and try to make a reservation on concierge. It says that the stores are too busy and i cant make a reservation. Fine. I'll try tomorrow. Nope. Fine, I'll try a different apple store. I try all 4 apple stores that are within an hour's drive. All of them give me the same message. I've tried 4 nights in a row now.

What's the deal here? How can the genius bars be full up with reservations all day long every day?

 

[Bibulous]

Try using a fake name and email to test if it's just you

I also had better luck with the 1-800 number if it's a laptop, not sure what a clicker is?

 

[Counterfit]

clicker = mouse?

And you can make a reservation from any computer in the store.

 

[skipsandwichdx]

Typically when I make a reservation, the soonest I can choose is at least three or four hours away (i.e. the next free reservation). If you're trying to make a reservation at, say, 7:00, you probably won't get in that day. And you can't make them for any other day unless you have ProCare.

edit: and make a reservation every time you have to go, even to just pick up a computer. They get annoyed if you don't.

 

[maxterpiece]

Try using a fake name and email to test if it's just you

I also had better luck with the 1-800 number if it's a laptop, not sure what a clicker is?

Heh, sorry - it's an iBook - what do you call the part you click with below the trackpad?

I may try the 800 #, but it just seems stupid that concierge is always full. And no, I'm trying to do this in the AM and it is telling me that there are NO appointments available. I will try at midnight tonight...

And in the past, like as recently as 9 months ago, there were no rules requiring a reservation. You could go in and if the geniuses could fit you in they'd fit you in. This guy could easily have helped me out and he chose to not only refuse, but refuse rudely - like it was absolutely absurd for me to expect some service w/o an appointment. I had no idea that a reservation was necessary. How was I supposed to know?

 

[Fiveos22]

I had the same problem recently, but was able to make a reservation over the interweb on the day of. Only Pro Care customers can make reservations several days in advance, or better yet, they can walk into the store and just hop in line (I think they can actually have next-in-line service).

While I was waiting in line last time, I had to inform several people about the concierge, because all the apple employees were too busy. It was kinda annoying, but not as annoying as having a broken MacBook.

 

[Bibulous]

That is rude, the times I have brought my laptop in to the store, the employee hanging out by the front has stopped me and asked if I need help, then goes on about how to use the in store computers to make a reservation.

I would try the 1-800 number, odds are the store will have to send it out also, and you can skip the drive and most likely get it back sooner.

 

[maxterpiece]

hey, I scheduled at midnight and had any time slot i wanted! hip hop hurray.

 

[Applespider]

Only Pro Care customers can make reservations several days in advance, or better yet, they can walk into the store and just hop in line (I think they can actually have next-in-line service).

Nope... they still need an appointment. But if there's a backlog when you go in for your appointment, they'll move you to the top.

Perhaps the OP's store has got busier in recent months so they're enforcing the Genius Bar appointments now since in busy stores, they've been like that for a lot longer than 9 months.